Should We Care When Celebrities Like Will Ferrell Build Eco-Houses?
It’s hard to watch television or browse the internet these days without hearing regular stories about how celebrities are “going green.” In the past week alone, I have read or skimmed through stories about how musician Sheryl Crow is launching an Eco Fashion Line, actress Pamela Anderson is building a green hotel, and comedian and actor Will Ferrell will be the first celebrity to drive BMW’s new hydrogen car. According to the story, Will Ferrell has also built a solar-powered environmentally friendly home. Should we care?
As a conservation social scientist, I have begun to wonder if these types of news stories about celebrities actually inspire people to “go green” themselves. I certainly hope that’s the case. If so, then we should care that Will Ferrell has built an eco-house. If not, then we should probably focus our attention elsewhere.
As to the question of whether or not celebrity role models encourage other people to make environmentally friendly choices, even if we were to conduct some scientific studies, the answer would probably never be definitive. If you think about it, stories about celebrities taking green actions are part of a broader advertising initiative that seeks to promote green products and lifestyles. But in advertising, we must remember that there are always winners and losers.
On one hand, celebrities should have more potential to be effective green role models and spokespeople. It makes sense that celebrities are more likely to gain someone’s attention than a Jane Doe. So, by having celebrities advertise green lifestyles and ecologically friendly products, then this strategy by default has some advantage. Of course, if people tend not to like the celebrity, then the strategy could potentially backfire. Al Gore, anyone? Despite their best intentions, your favorite celebrity might be causing more people to get turned off from all things green, rather than steering them where we would like them to go.
If we take another step and think of advertising more generally as communication, then there are probably some strategies that will make celebrities’ and non-celebrities’ efforts to promote green products and lifestyles more effective. If we are to care about when green celebs make news, then we should at least hope they promote their products and lifestyles well and don’t do a shoddy job of it. Here are three suggestions for green communicators, advertisers, and celebrities:
1. Choose a Messenger Whose Reputation Mirrors the Message
Make sure that the messenger helps embody the message. In other words, maybe Pamela Anderson is not the best person to be promoting the construction of green buildlings. It’s just my opinion, but wouldn’t it make more sense for her to promote ecologically friendly clothing or shoes instead? (I’m speaking strictly from an advertising standpoint. Anderson’s choice to build an eco-friendly hotel is fantastic). Just as you wouldn’t have someone like Michael Stipe of the band R.E.M. (a vegan) selling something like the George Foreman Grill, or Lance Armstrong peddling video games (something passive), rather than bikes (something active), if the messenger can match the message or product logically, this is good.
2. Use Communication Theories to Craft a Message That Addresses Your Audience’s Most Inner Concerns and Fears
Use relevant theories and models from communication to strengthen your message and increase its chances of being effective. Some specifics would include using your message to target and soothe what people fear or doubt about the product or lifestyle you are selling. Here is a hypothetical example of what I mean: “Hi. I’m Will Ferrell, and I want to tell you that solar panels, contrary to popular thought, are quite easy to install on your very own home and are actually not that expensive.”
Also targeting the audience’s significant others in some way is a good plan. Research involving the Theory of Planned Behavior has tended to show that when making decisions people are more influenced by their significant others than by society at large. In other words, close family members and friends are the people whose opinions matter when it comes to making choices and decisions. Here’s another hypothetical example: “Hi, I’m Will Ferrell. I just put solar panels on my house, and I’ve got to tell you: my parents love it. Now they can turn the thermostat up to 90 when they come over, at no additional energy costs to me! My brother and friends love it too because now we can throw heated bikini pool parties in the dead of winter! You’ve got to get some solar panels.”
3. Emphasize the Utility of Your Product, Rather Than Its Green Benefit (if applicable)
If you are targeting a broader audience, as is the case with most “green” endeavors, make the utility of the product the focus of your messaging rather than the values behind it– not vice versa. Thinking about Will Ferrell’s career as a movie star is a good analogy for explaining what I mean. While many people have a positive attitude about Will Ferrell and think he is funny, the product he is selling these days is movies, not himself.
People are interested in whether or not when they pay to see a movie with Will Ferrell that they will be entertained and laugh. If a marketing campaign for a movie focuses just upon Will Ferrell as the reason to see a movie, rather than some of the movie’s better jokes and its interesting plot, then this will ultimately over time probably not bring as many people to his movies. Even if people think Will Ferrell is funny, most will only want to see his movies if they enjoy them and think they will have a few laughs. Once the laughs stop and it’s all about Will Ferrell– the product will stop selling. Mike Myer’s The Love Guru flopped this summer for that exact reason. His reputation as someone funny wasn’t enough to carry the movie by itself (I haven’t seen the movie, but the critical consensus is pretty unified about the movie’s awfulness).
So how does this translate to environmental products and lifestyles? Focus first on what the product can do for someone (save them money, make them look cool, help them make friends, attract a boyfriend or girlfriend, etc…) Then enhance that message’s appeal by mentioning the environmental benefits. Of course, people who already think and act in environmentally friendly ways will already be predisposed to like your product– it’s the people on the outside who need an approach that suits their personal needs and desires more. Start with the benefits an individual gets from a product or lifestyle, and then move to the benefits for the greater world.
Just hope you are lucky enough to have a celebrity like Will Ferrell to help you implement these strategies into your ad campaign.
What Does It All Add Up To?
So to go back to my original title question once more– should we care when celebrities like Will Ferrell build eco-houses? Probably so.
Read More About Celebrities Going Green on the Green Options Network:
Photo Credit: An image of Will Ferrell via Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons license
We should care about as much as if anyone one else had done it. The good thing about celebrities getting on the Eco trail is that, that information is more widely dispersed to a greater number of people. The bad thing about celebrities doing anything at all, is that people care more about what they do, than what anyone else is doing.
Any trend towards a better society for all is admirable and can be encouraged by recognition. If more people, the famous and well known, join the bandwagon and a whole population shifts its values then America can benefit from the better allotment of its resources. As it is, we still build some McMansions, symbolic of a lifestyle we can no longer afford environmentally, or otherwise. It is good they go the way of the SUV and V-8 engine. We are making progress towards an oil free society, uncompromisable by foreign oil barons, and owned and operated by the U.S.A.!
Personally, I’m not too concerned with what famous people are doing in their own time, but I guess most people are. I am going to go out on a limb here and say, in general, the E! watching demo is not the most pro actively green, so things like this are good to raise awareness and encourage action.
Yes, we should care but I can see how it is a double-edged sword. In the public’s eye celebrities have plenty of cash to throw around, so the perception may be enhanced that eco-friendly living is expensive and in the domain of the wealthy. I agree that advertising for eco-friendly products needs to emphasize the utility and economics of the products. Much of the buying public today sees the “green” movement as a fad.
I started my company this March 2008, and would like to promote my Eco friendly biodegradable Designer Wastebasket Liners on your website. They are a no 8 biodegradable plastic that breaks down in the landfills and composts within 9-60 months. THey have a beautiful GOld Fern pattern, and a scalloped edge. They come in a set of 12 for 9.00 plus shipping(12.00 total) Ok, thanks for any info. Annette Savio
I think that most celebrities carbon footprint over theyre illustrious careers is probably a lot more then the average man anyhow. So building an eco-house or driving an eco-car really isnt doing alot to rectify the global situation. The fuel used to build and transport green materials to the desired sites is also a factor to consider , and also all the fuel used to transport them to theyre far away celebrity destinations. So when all is said and done, do they really make a difference? i dont think so.
It s hard to watch television or browse the internet these days without hearing regular stories about how celebrities are going green. Should we care?
I think it is great that celebs are turning green (but I mean real green not, ok we share a learjet to the oscars). Will Farrell for example is a fantastic person.
It has a knock on effect as many celebs wouldn’t be seen dead driving an SUV it pushes people to think that an SUV isn’t a status symbol as it used to be, while driving a Prius is!
Should we care when celebrities build green? Yes and no. We shouldn’t care because celebrities are just people. But then again we should care because too many people play follow the leader. And if the leader, by celebrity, does something green, then more people will want to jump on the bandwagon. A number of celebrities are acting as green role models, including DiCaprio, Ed Begley, Jr, Carmen Diaz, and George Clooney. It’s a good thing to see.